Community Reviews

For any fan of the Eagles or the Classic Rock artists of the area (Fleedwood Mac, etc.), an entertaining and in-depth chronicle of how the band came to be, their infamous falling out, and the sex, drugs and rock and roll in between.

A very good bio of one of my favorite bands – The Eagles. The author describes how the band came together with help from Kenny Rogers, David Geffen and Bob Seger. It was interesting to read how the two leaders of this band, Glen Frey and Don Henley, gravitated to LA and the music scene there which was really beginning a great run there in the 1970’s. Then the book goes through the growth of the band and its eventually becoming the mega stars on the back of Hotel California. After that we read abA very good bio of one of my favorite bands – The Eagles. The author describes how the band came together with help from Kenny Rogers, David Geffen and Bob Seger. It was interesting to read how the two leaders of this band, Glen Frey and Don Henley, gravitated to LA and the music scene there which was really beginning a great run there in the 1970’s. Then the book goes through the growth of the band and its eventually becoming the mega stars on the back of Hotel California. After that we read about how the band collapsed amidst in fighting and personality conflicts.The author does a good job of placing the story of one of the biggest bands of the 1970’sinto the context of that era. The book does well to describe the generation which produced the Eagles and this adds to the story’s depth. There are lots of interviews with the band members here, especially Don Henley and Glen Frey. Also some quotes and input from Joe Walsh. It’s also interesting to read about the input of the other, less famous Eagle. Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, Don Felder and Tim Schmidt all come off mostly well, though one senses it was really the drive and vision of Henley and Frey which pushed the Eagles to the level of a super group.There is also a god bit about the “business” side of the music industry as the book details the machinations, dealing and lawsuits related to the band, their contracts and such stuff. David Geffen comes off rather poorly. Irving Azoff, the manager, does better.For all that and the stories of 1970’s rock n roll excesses (for which the Eagles were famous), what most impressed me was how hard these guys worked and how obsessive and perfectionist they were when it came to making records and playing concerts. After reading how Glen Frey and Don Henley spent long hours in the studio to get minor details of sound right and how they obsessed over their live shows sounding perfect, I was impressed…Hard work which makes their songs sound perfect…glad I read this book. ...more

I loved reading this book. Great oversight into the California music after the 1960s; the author's analysis of that era and the Eagles' part in it is fascinating. There is great detail on the Eagles' rise to the top, the power dynamics among the group members, and the flaws in their working relationships that tore the band apart over and over. You'll never view the Eagles the same again after reading this book, especially Henley, and to a lesser extent, Frey.